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About this blog

Stoke June 23 2019: Blog to track my recovery

Entries in this blog

Project

Well this week I can't identify any actual improvements. Of course they can be so subtle now I have to pay attention to spot one. I do catch my self slipping back to my safe walk and find myself having to coach myself , like "Come on a bit faster" as I continue to move more as I used to. This week I have been involved with installing a big drum composter. The screwing of nuts onto bolts was an exercise they used to have me do in rehab, and I found I was flashing back to that as i had to do it a

KevRider

KevRider

Balance

My recent attempts to push for normal seem to be paying off. Most of my motion lately is normal, though I still have to concentrate on doing it. Often the first couple of steps may be slightly lacking, but then i push a little, focus and its back again. This recently re-learned motion gets me into new areas of balance challenge. But only small ones which trigger a little headiness for just a moment and I seem to be learning how to re-balance and haven't been anywhere near falling yet. Contr

KevRider

KevRider

Pushing for Normal

Those who may have read last weeks blog will know i'm pushing for normal. Generally its been working great! i'm estimating about an 85% rate and it feels good when I get it right as for a few minutes I fell no deficits. The slight down side it that occasionally on rougher ground i lose a little balance. and may stagger slightly for a stride or 2 it challenges my balance and may induce a little headiness. but I have not taken a fall yet, and believe that balance challenge is probably good neuro p

KevRider

KevRider

Breaking Habits

This week its been harder to note specific improvement. Rather I seem to have realized that I may have to push beyond habits i've fallen into. I had started , and continue to run back from barn to the house every morning after feeding the horses. Yet I realized that I walk in a very steady and cautious way which has now served me for several months. One evening my wife was calling me to the bathroom to take meds and I realized I use to walk much faster in such circumstance. I increased stride an

KevRider

KevRider

Running

Improvement these days is in subtle increments and easily over looked. My fist consistent walk of  the day is over to the barn to feed the horses and I always use this to gauge progress. This morning I was most of the way to the barn when I realized I was thinking about something completely different and just walking naturally. Most of the time since the stoke I have to concentrate on every step I take. Another thing I added to my routine is I now run back from the barn , a distance of some

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KevRider

Harvesting

So this week I engaged in more work around the house and garden with some significant results. I offered to help with vacuuming the house. The to and thro motion of this induces a strange headiness as I transferred weight from one foot to the other. Later my walking changed to a longer stride and during my first walk of the day, which id from house to barn to feed horses, the walk felt vary natural and indistinguishable from my pre-stroke walk. It still gets a little wobbly as the day goes on an

KevRider

KevRider

Just another week.

Well with Arizona been a Covid hot spot we continue our isolation, now almost 5 months. Days slide one into the other we have to mark them with meals to help keep track, Spaghetti Sunday, Wednesday Pizza and 'Friesday'. Can't complain to much were almost set up for it. I think about 60% of what we are eating comes off our land. We have plenty y of space to ride in the morning, in fact we have over 2miles of track on our own property. My stamina is slowly coming back. Used to be when I rode it wa

KevRider

KevRider

Not such a good week

Well on Thursday last I was moving a bail of hay , which had fallen weirdly and jammed in position. I lifted with my legs but had my elbow bent slightly. Just as it started to move I felt my forearm muscles tear like breaking old sting.  The felling was sickening , both mentally and physically! So that led to 3 days off nursing the arm. Its been getting better each day but  is still to tender to risk riding. I did get back to the treadmill. On a better note I have been lengthening my walking str

KevRider

KevRider

Tomatoes

So actually had to go out this week! We get our income form a few rentals and we had a tenant leave so we had to go out to assess clean up needs, which included taking a traitor of junk to the dump. So some interaction with others hopefully at a safe distance, wearing masks and gloves.  It felt good to be out and about but I was somewhat nervous in the interactions. Its good to be mobile enough again that I can do a lot of tasks required .,but I must admit I hired 2 guys to help with the heavy l

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KevRider

Great Weather

This week is one of those gaps in the weather pattern. Usually spring is windy by mid mornings so we have to ride very early while its still chilly. This week however we have had lovely sunny mornings with no wind so been riding a little later. My left leg is still a little weak but its finally strong enough to posh him side ways so I've actually got back to the traing I was doing just before my stoke, the half pass. Done correctly the horse moves both forward and side ways, crossing his legs ov

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KevRider

A year on.

A quiet week. Its been very windy so have passed the time more indoors. Arizona is having a major relapse with the Corona virus so we aren't going anywhere for a while. Perhaps even a long while! I was entertaining my self with planning a trip to the UK and Paris which we have been intending to take with Deb's parents for their 50th Wedding Anniversary next June 2021. Then yesterday we heard the Americans won't be allowed to fly to Europe! At the rate we are going we could still have that proble

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KevRider

Odd Jobs & toads. anniversary

So Wednesday around again so soon.! This week seems to be an odd job week. Which is in itself a good thing. These projects are quiet tiring as my stamina is far from what it used to me but I can balance, climb ladders (carefully ) and am dexterous enough again to handle power tools. Its also the anniversary of my stroke so its been a year. This time last year I was making a bucket list as I was not sure I would last much longer! I made Monument Valley & Carlsbad Caverns before the virus grou

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KevRider

Medicare

Its kind of sad when the most interesting topic of my week was applying for Medicare. I was covered by Deb ACA before but as she approached her 65th we have to convert over. One of the affects of getting older is that our health insurance just doubled! That seems a little crazy and even more so from some one who was brought up with Universal healthcare. Meanwhile our Blue Cross insurance still has not settled my bills form my stroke.  'Reduce your stress.' they tell me at Mayo then had me a bill

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KevRider

Emotional Containment

Little to note on the physical recovery this week. I haven't noticed any improvements but advancements are slight at this stage. On the other hand I have noticed a reduction in my ability to contain emotions across the full scale. This has been true since my stroke but seems to have been exacerbated by events around the Black Lives Matter protests. So I have been a bit down this week. I went looking for some comic relief  and found on Netflix 'Douglas' which was a show by an Australian comedian

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KevRider

Turmoil

I find the level of turmoil in the USA rather disturbing and it tends to affect my mood. So there's little I can do about that so I try and remember to enjoy each fay and that I almost left the planet. Things are growing rapidly now and we are already eating produce from the hoop house. Our first tomato was harvested this week , we ate it separate from any other food. The flavor was intense after a winter of shop bought ones. Many green ones will soon ripen and follow. Gardening still takes

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KevRider

Warm

At 5500ft we can get freezes as late as May 28th. but it looks like we are clear now.  47F this morning and we will go to 80s lter in the day, Every thing is blooming and the nest built in our chicken coop is now home to newly hatched chics. My stamina seams to be increasing slightly as I get thru more in the day with less breaks. Some lovely sunny mornings which are prefect for long rides.  Recovery is small increments now and realizations. Like I went to mount the other morning and

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KevRider

OK Bored Now

So the Governor's Stay Home Edict has now expired in Arizona but out covid-19 numbers are still steadily going up, so Deb an I are just staying home. We have a lot to be grateful for. 1. We are retired and so I don't have to work. 2 Our income is still pretty steady. 3 We don't have to go out much , perhaps once a week tp put trash in the dumpster and pick up mail parcels. 4 we are on a 40 acre, with 2 miles of track for riding the horses. 5 We have a hoop house to play

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KevRider

Critter nets

So the days slip into each other. I loose track of which is which. I couldn't tell you my regime any more I ride when the weather is good, work in the garden and walk on the treadmill it i'm not too tired. I haven't been here to the chat room for a while as it seems everyone does zoom at 1pm . Perhaps I 'll make it to day. There little improvement to note this week but the gardening pits me in more diverse movement and challenges my balance, which I think is a good thing. After my stroke I found

KevRider

KevRider

Back in the saddle

May day marking the advent of spring, brought temperature in the 80s this week, but with high winds. The mornings although still chilly at high 40s were sunny and not much wind, so its been a week of riding a lot. Some very long trots posting left muscles a bit fatigued but it was good to be riding out again.  The dog enjoys it too! Been working in the green house also where irrigation problems literally had me on my knees, as the electric are below ground. Working on my knees seemed

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KevRider

Asparagus & Irises

So very suddenly were approaching summer. Yesterday we were up in the 80's and this morning was the first day of the year that the heating didn't come on. Flowers and trees are blooming all over the place. Iris are adding color to the garden. We have so much asparagus that we are giving it away to neighbors( Well not directly, we leave it at the gate)  The warner weather keeps drawing me outside to ride and garden. OF course being me I tend to over do it so lifting a few heavier thins

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KevRider

SALADS & ZOOM

Well last weeks record of 40mins at 3 mph was not exactly by intent. I walk watching cold West Wing episodes and loss track of time.  Paid or it with some soreness next day so I kicked back. I returned to exercise Thursday for 20 mins. I should have waited longer! I strained the same muscle and ended   up having to take 3 days to get out of pain. In fact I've decide to take the week off the treadmill. Even so the week wasn't all off as we cleaned out the chicken coop. We deep litter this so it o

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KevRider

Zoom & buiscuits ( cookies)

It seems zoom is becoming a regular thing in my life for all sorts of meetings the last one just before I wrote this with my in-laws in Saudi Arabia. There on total lock down except for shopping by appointment and of course no one argues with the King. The headiness has reduce to mild back ground now and I hardly notice it. I made a personal best on the treadmill on Monday at 40mins at 3 mph. I paid for that the following day with muscle soreness on my left leg sufficient to leave me limping aro

KevRider

KevRider

Spring

So the use of the treadmill seems to be paying off. For most of the day I can walk around and no one would notice anything wrong and I don't have to focus on movements it starts to fall off a bit as I get tired and wobbly. Also the headiness is absent around only when I make more exaggerated movement. The weather has got warmer so spending some time in the garden and on horse back, but later in the day the wind blows me back inside.  We are now harvesting greens as above and had our f

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KevRider

Water is Life

Sill in isolation so tending to use my treadmill as I cant get out, Walking has suddenly become more balanced, only limping slightly when tired. So Im trying to build up the leg muscles and my stamina which is still far from my old levels. My headiness has reduced some and seems to be associate with balance in new or unusual motion. For example I had to go down om my knees while checking tire pressure this weekend, not a usual position and the headiness was induced. One of the community wells in

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KevRider

Weather Break

Finally a break in the weather ! After a hard winter here we seem to have entered spring. There's an ornamental pear tree that w use as a kid of indicator and its starting to bloom. Spring has high wind but they come later in the day. So there is a gap early morning where the sun is shining and temperature are above freezing so I got a few rides in. Seem the yoga and physio therapies have paid off! I am riding passably, doing best since my stoke. I still finding my posting trot rather bumpy as m

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KevRider